Saturday, May 25, 2013

My brother Wally and sister-in-law Katie are expecting their first baby this summer, and they had their baby shower today. We are too far away to make it to events like that unfortunately, but I sent along this little gift to them. A few months ago, I asked as many parents as possible to ask their kids some questions about parenting/babies/kids and put the answers that were sent back to me together in a little book for Katie and Wally. Thank you to all of the parents who took the time to ask their kids these questions--hope you enjoy it!

HoWtO bEaPAreNt

-bYkIdS

What's the most important thing a new parent needs to know?

“Take good care of the baby” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Treat the baby nicely and take care of it”
(William from UT, age 6)

“How to feed a baby. Parents need to decide
if they want to breastfeed or nurse them with a bottle.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“The most important thing a new parent needs
to know is that the child will always love you no matter what.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“To feed it.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Give them the
binky.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“To take care of their baby.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“How to take care of their children and how
to keep their house safe.” (Eva from
NY, age 8)

“I don't know, what?” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“That their kids are safe,” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“That they need to buy Legos when their kids
ask them to.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“They need to know about superheroes.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“To be married.”
(Nixon from VT, age 4)

“They need
to know about kissing and hugging.” (James
from Germany, age 3)

“Poop…Baby has poop….Change her diaper….I
feed her a little bit too. I put her bottle too. I warm it up…. I need to know
Mommy and Daddy change her diaper…. My baby is pooping right now…She has no
teeth….My baby is crying too…Blue pants with stars. They pee and poop. That is
all about babies…No. There is more about babies….She poop.” (Sagan from NJ, 27 months)

“To say please &
don't forget food” (Will from GA, age 4)

What should you do if your kid is
having trouble in school?

“Call somebody or go pick
them up.”
(Adam from UT, age 4)

“Try to teach them
math and reading at home.” (William
from UT, age 6)

“Tell the teacher.”
(Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“I would tell the
teacher and say, 'Please help my child with the hard stuff'” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“If your child is
having trouble in school you should first find out what they are struggling
with and talk with the teacher to see if maybe they could help. You should also
help at their school to see if you can help with anything.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Help you.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Go back home.”
(Amara from OR, age 4)

“Helphim or her.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Watch the teacher nothing's
so you will remember.” (Lilah from ,
age 5)

“Ask a teacher to
help.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“You should just
help them.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“Tell
them to be nice.” (Nixon
from VT, age 4)

“Give a spanking.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“Clean the fish tank.”
(Owen from CO, age 2)

“Talk to them about
it.” (Taylor from GA, age 6)

“Help them.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What should you do if your kid isn't getting along with a
friend?

“Pick them up and say, ‘You
have to be nice to your friend!’” (Adam
from UT, age 4)

“Teach them how to
make friends better.” (William from
UT, age 4)

“I would say, let’s
figure something out or let’s play something else.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“I would tell their Mom
or a teacher and they would help them stop fighting.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“If your child isn't
making friends with anyone else you could talk with them about why are their friends
troubling them or ask them why they feel left out and give them advice.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Ask an adult.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Ask them what their
name is.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Talk with your kid.”
( Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Get along with others
tell them they are sorry.” (Lilah
from FL , age 5)

“Tell him to find
another friend to play with.” (Hunter
from CO, age 5)

“Say, ‘You don't
have to play with that friend, you can play with another one.’" (Colin from PA, age 4)

“To
go along with them.” (Nixon
from VT, age 4)

“Discipline them.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“Ask them not to do that.” (Will
from GA, age 4)

What should you do if your kid has a messy room?

“Help them clean it up.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Tell them to clean
it up and talk nicely to them to tell them.” (William from UT, age 6)

“I would make them
clean it up all by themselves.” (Eleanor
from CT, age 5)

“I would tell them to
clean their room and not to come down until they are done.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“I would tell my
kids to go clean their rooms and give them three examples of why they need to.
For example: 1) because if there was ever an emergency the emergency people
couldn't get to you fast 2) because they sleep in there and it’s like their
house they would want to keep their house clean 3) because it would be easier
to find their stuff when its organized and put away.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Ask us to clean it.”
(Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Clean it up.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Help him or her pick it
up or, if they want to do it by themselves, let them do it by themselves.”
(Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Have them tidy it
up.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Sit him on the step
until they are ready to clean up.” (Hunter
from CO, age 5)

“Play fast music so I clean up my room
faster.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“If my child
wouldn't eat supper I'd make a game out of it, like if they like trains I would
pretend that the food was a choo-choo train and it was going into their mouth
like a tunnel.” (Alexa from CT, age
10)

“Eat your supper or
no treat.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“The mommy and daddy
should eat it with them.” (Amara from
OR, age 4)

“Say, ‘If you eat your
supper you will grow big and strong, like us’” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Nothing!” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“To have them try it
and see if they like it and maybe they will eat it all up.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Clear their plate
if they don't eat more than one thing.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“Just eat it, because
you won't get hungry in the night and wake up mommy and daddy asking for
bananas.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“NO dessert!!” (Nell from PA, age 3)

“Spank
them.” (Nixon from VT,
age 4)

“The
parents should eat it.” (James from Germany,
age 3)

“You go upstairs.” (Sagan from NJ, 27 months)

“Tell them they won't get desert.” (Taylor from GA, age 6)

“Say please.” (Will from GA,
age 4)

What should you do if your kid had a bad day?

“Help cheer them up.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Talk to them about
it.” (William from UT, age 6)

“I would give them ice cream!” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“I would buy them something
that they wanted.” (Jack from CT, age 7)

“If they had a bad
day I'd give them some advice about making tomorrow a better day.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Talk to us.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Ask a teacher or go
in time out.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Say that we’ll try to make
it a better day tomorrow.” (Zoe from
CO, age 5)

“Try to figure out
what happened. Give them hugs and kisses. Try to soothe them and help them feel
better.” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“Go to sleep.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Read a book to
them. I like when my Mom does that.” (Hunter
from CO, age 5)

“Cuddle. It makes everything
feel better.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“Help
them.” (Nixon from VT,
age 4)

“Discipline
the other kids (the ones that made it a bad day)” (James from Germany, age 3)

“Help.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What do kids like to do for fun?

“Shoot foxes and rabbits- actually that's a bad thing to do
and I never do that and I would never go out in the woods by myself because
something might try to eat me and it’s not nice to do either.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“Play Wii and play
in their room.” (William from UT, age
6)

“Go to playdates.”
(Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“Kids like to play on
their electronics, have friends over and go with their Mom and Dad to different
places and visit their cousins.” (Jack
from CT, age 7)

“Kids like to go to amusement
parks for fun-like six flags!” (Alexa
from CT, age 10)

“Go to Dad’s basketball
games, practices and play basketball.” (Ryan
from VT, age 6)

“Go to the
children’s museum.” (Amara from OR,
age 4)

“PLAY!” (Ellie from NY, age 3)

“Go to the carousel.”
(Zoe from CO, age 5)

“Ummmmm GO ON THE
CAROUSEL!” (Owen from CO, age 2)

“Go places and play
at recess with their friends.” (Eva
from NY, age 8)

“Play. With toys.
And watch TV.” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“Play.” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Play with new
friends.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“For fun, I like to
go to the playground.” (Colin from
PA, age 4)

“I like to go to the
Please Touch Museum (Children's museum in Philadelphia)” (Nell from PA, age 3)

“Go to their beds
without mommies and daddies.” (Lennon
from NY, age 3)

“Play fairy and
princesses.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“I don't like to sit
around.” (Colin from PA, age 4)

“I don't like to
hide in caves, because those are dark places.” (Nell from PA, age 3)

“Not
ride on someone’s foot.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“Singing
songs.”
(James from Germany, age 3)

“Clean their room.” (Taylor
from GA, age 6)

“Go to school. “ (Will from
GA, age 4)

What should parents do if THEY are having a bad day?

“Have a mighty eagle step
in to help them (angry bird reference)” (Adam
from UT, age 4)

“A child could help
try to cheer them up.“ (William from
UT, age 6)

“They should do
something fun like maybe ask one of their friends if they want to go out.”
(Jack from CT, age 7)

“If parents are having a
bad day try to keep it inside of you and not yell at your children and take it
out on your children. Try to be calm. Maybe they should put the children down
for a nap and watch a movie.” (Alexa
from CT, age 10)

“Ask another adult
to help.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“Take a nap.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Count to 4.If you’re so mad and you’re so ANGRY. If you
feel MAD, take a deep breath and count to 4: 1…2…3…4” (Ellie from NY, age 3)

“Put the baby down in
the crib to rest.” (Zoe from CO, age
5)

“Go outside.” (Owen from CO, age 2)

“They should get a
hug and forget about it. Oh, and what happens at work stays at work!” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“I dunno. Be mad?”
(Lennon from NY, age 3)

“Just get hugs” (Lilah from FL , age 5)

“Calm down and take
deep breaths.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“Go back to your bed
and go to sleep.” (Colin from PA, age
4)

“You should go sit in
a corner and talk to no one.” (Colin
from PA, age 4 and Nell from PA, age 3)

“No because they might crash the car and the car would be broken
and they would have to pay for it and waste all their money and they wouldn't
have enough so the mom and dad would have to waste their money.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“No because they
don't know how and they might crash and kill themselves.“ (William from UT, age 6)

“No (haha) because
they're too little and they don't have their driving lessons.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“Kids should not be able
to drive cars because they could crash because they couldn't reach the pedal or
see over the window” (Jack from CT,
age 7)

“No kids shouldn't
be allowed to drive cars because they're not done growing so they wouldn't be
the right height. Kids don't understand as much as grownups and they don't take
things as seriously as grownups do so they could crash the car.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“No, because we're
not old enough.” (Ryan from VT, age 6)

“No. Because it is
too hard.” (Amara from OR, age 4)

“Yes!Cuz I could DO it.If I get bigger. I have to be bigger like my
Daddy and my Mama ‘fore I could drive, and I not big enough.” (Ellie from NY, age 3)

“No because they
might get hurt.” (Zoe from CO, age 5)

“No, because mommies
drive cars.” (Owen from CO, age 2)

“No because they are
smaller and won't be able to see out by the window and they could crash. It
wouldn't be safe.” (Eva from NY, age
8)

“No! They would push the
wrong button!” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“No because they
will bump into something.” (Lilah
from FL , age 5)

“No because they
aren't old enough yet.” (Hunter from
CO, age 5)

“No! Because they don't
know how! That is silly!” (Colin from
PA, age 4)

“Kids should be in
carseats and not touch the steering wheel.” (Nell from PA, age 3)

“No.
Because they're not big enough to see over the wheel.”
(Nixon from VT, age 4)

“No. Because
they're still just little!” (James from Germany,
age 3)

“NO. No I cannot
drive the car to the park. I can’t drive Mommy’s car. It’s Mommy’s car.
Sometimes I drive.” (Sagan from NJ,
27 months)

“No, because they don't have a license and can't drive,” (Taylor from GA, age
6)

“No, because they are too little.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What is the hardest thing about having a new baby around?

“It will try eating
little legos if you have some so you have to keep the legos in your room so the
baby can't get them.” (Adam from UT,
age 4)

“To try being a
bigger brother.” (William from UT,
age 6)

“They cry.” (Eleanor from CT, age 5)

“Babies can get in your
way. Like they can be right in front of you when you're trying to get there.”
(Jack from CT, age 7)

“The hardest thing
about having a baby around is that they're not old enough to pick up and they
make a big mess and you have to pick it up. AND they wake up in the middle of
the night and you have to wake up too.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“Changing his diaper.”
(Ryan from VT, age 6)

“It’s too hard
putting it asleep.” (Amara from OR,
age 4)

“It’s harder to get
around the house and when you’re talking to someone, they make it harder
because they’re crying.” (Zoe from
CO, age 5)

“The sibling could
get angry because the mother is paying attention to the baby and not to them
and they want the mother and the baby wants the mother and then you will have
two screaming fests in the house.” (Eva
from NY, age 8)

“If they cry -
boring!” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“Not doing anything
with the baby.” (Lilah from FL , age
5)

“They cry.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)

“I think it is hard
to get them to eat pineapple.” (Colin
from PA, age 4)

“When
the baby hits me.” (Nixon from VT, age 4)

“You have
to go the hospital, and then the baby drinks a lot of milkies (nursing), hard.” (James from Germany, age 3)

“Buying all the diapers and cleaning their butt.” (Taylor from GA, age
6)

“Taking care of it all the time.” (Will from GA, age 4)

What is the best thing about having a new baby around?

“That you can play with
him and you can hurt him and he won't even get hurt.” (Adam from UT, age 4)

“He kind of plays
with you sometimes.” (William from
Utah, age 6)

“They are cute and
fun to play with.” (Jack from CT, age
7)

“The best thing about
having a baby around is they are so cute and it’s just fun to teach them
things. ya... it’s fun to watch them grow.” (Alexa from CT, age 10)

“You can swaddle it
up in a blankie.” (Amara from OR, age
4)

“That you can play
with them and have fun.” (Zoe from
CO, age 5)

“They are cute and
cuddly and nice to be around. You can teach them things.” (Eva from NY, age 8)

“They are fun.” (Lennon from NY, age 3)

“Playing, feeding, watching
it.” (Lilah from FL, age 5)

“Getting to go to
McDonald's alone with my Dad and play in the Play Place. That's
what happened when Verity come out of Mom's tummy.” (Hunter from CO, age 5)